Council chiefs in Fife are running an amnesty for unused zimmer frames, walking sticks and assorted mobility aids.
It is estimated that as many as 160,000 daily living aids are lying unused in homes across the district, equating to costs of tens of thousands of pounds to the local council and NHS.
Home Collection Service
Rather than letting them go to waste, owners of the mobility aids who no longer use them are being asked to bring them along to local recycling centres. If, however, they are unable to deliver the items themselves, Fife Council are now offering to carry out home collections.
The amnesty follows a similar pilot carried out in the Scottish town of Glenrothes in 2015, where 6,000 mobility products were successfully returned by previous owners.
Andrew Rodger, chairman of the health and social care partnership in Fife, said: “Each year we deliver over 78,000 pieces of equipment to people’s homes but over the years there has been a build-up of equipment that has never been returned.”
“We are simply wasting precious NHS resources at a time when hospital services are already under great strain”
41,000 Hospital Bed Days
A spokesperson from the charity Age says a shortage of disability and mobility aids are keeping thousands of elderly and disabled people from being discharged from hospital each year. It is calculated that more than 41,000 hospital bed days a year are lost to patients who are well enough to return home but do not have access to the living aids necessary to live independently.
“Without care homes in place, home care packages or home adaptions, we are simply wasting precious NHS resources at a time when hospital services are already under great strain.”
Mobility aids can cost anywhere from ten to several thousand pounds each. Equipment included in the amnesty are bath lifts, height adjustable seating, zimmer frames, walking sticks, shower chairs and kitchen trolleys among others.
